The Hunter and the Peacock
by NekoFox21
Summary: A hunter looks for a magical peacock. On the journey for the mythical bird he meets a strange man. Who is the strange man? Is there a connection between him and the peacock?


In a world where hunters and other people try to find rare and beautiful animals so they could sell them for money -because they're so valuable-, there was a man named Ikkaku. He was born and raised in the city Tokyo by his father and mother. They didn't have a lot of money but they managed to feed and clothed themselves. When he turned eighteen his parents died. For three months he had no money and starved day and night. He worked but he was paid very little.

Ikkaku traveled from Japan all the way to the continent of Asia to find the rare and valuable, Red and Yellow peacock so he could catch and sell it for lots of money. He heard about the bird from a fortuneteller he met on the streets of Tokyo. People say the red and yellow peacock is magical and it uses it's powers to hid it self.

When he got to the biggest city in China he went to the great hunter known as Kenpatchi. When he arrived at his huge, glorious home. He entered the big red gates and meet up with the man out in his garden. A little girl with pink hair was running around while her father sat at his table and watched.

Ikkaku walked to him and bow at him for a moment. "My guard tells me you wish to speak to me." Kenpatchi said before he took a sip of his tea.

"That's right." the bald man responded.

"What would a priest like you want from a hunter like me?" He took another sip

"I'm not a priest." He held back his anger. He hated it when people assume he's a priest just because he had no hair. It was very annoying to him. People have always and will always do it.

"Oh I assumed that you are because of your bald head." the bigger man putted his cup down.

"I get that a lot."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want advice."

"On what?"

"How to find a rare and valuable bird."

"What's this bird called?"

"The Red and Yellow Peacock. I want to catch and sell it." Kenpatchi roared with laughter. The laugh was so loud his daughter stopped running around and stared at him.

"I know it's hard to catch-"

"HARD TO CATCH?" He continued laughing until Ikkaku shouted

"I don't see what so funny about it!" the big man calmed down and stop laughing.

"Sorry but the reason I laughed is because no one has ever found or seen it before."

"Not even you?"

"Not even me. I've found a blue peacock and a white but not a red and yellow one. Not even a good hunter such as I could it."

"So no one has seen it. But then how did they get pictures of it for the books-?"

"That's just a guess on what the peacock looks like but really no one knows what it looks like." The little girl ran up to her father and sat on his lap.

"Where did you find the peacocks you caught? What did you do with them?"

"I found one of them in the mountains and I found the other in a forest... about two years ago. I sold them to woman named Rangiku. She's a good friend of mine. She wanted the birds because she wanted to protect them from poachers. Any peacock is valuable because of beautiful people find them to be no matter what color they are."

"I see. She's keeping them safe."

"Yes. They roam around on her lands. For some reason they never try to leave. They must be happy there."

"Now I know who to sell it to when I find the peacock. Thank you." Ikkaku left Kenpatchi's home and went out to the wild to find the bird after he received a net -big enough to catch a flock of birds- from Kenpatchi. For a month he climbed all the mountains from the smallest to the tallest. He hasn't found anything at all. When he got down he reached a forest of bamboos.

He travel through a bamboo forest for month. Still found nothing. He got out of the bamboo forest and into another one. There he found an empty cabin to stay at for as long as needed.

After two days of resting he came across a man in a red kimono with a yellow obi. The kimono and obi were decorated with peacock eyes and feathers. He had chin length black hair and brown eyes. He wasn't wearing any footwear. At first Ikkaku thought he was a woman due to how beautiful he looked. "What is your name?"

"My name is Yumichika." Hearing his voice he realized that that was a man and not a woman. Nonetheless he thought he was beautiful. "Who are you?" he asked

"My name is Ikkaku."

"What is a handsome man like yourself doing out here?" Being called handsome made his cheeks feel warm and turn red. "Don't you have a family?"

For a moment he couldn't speak. "Well?"

Ikkaku spoke after finding the words to answer his question "I'm looking for something rare and valuable. I don't have anyone. What about you?"

"This forest is my home since the day I was born. I use to have a family but a hunter took a them away from me about two years ago. What is the rare and valuable something you're looking for?"

"The red and yellow peacock." Yumichika glared at him.

"What do you plan on doing with the creature?"

"Catch it and sell it. Are you against it?" Ikkaku could sense that the man didn't like what he heard. It was starting to feel tense.

"Animals shouldn't be put in cages. They should be free. What did they ever do to any human?" Yumichika smirked "No matter you will not find the peacock any way."

"I will!" Ikkaku shouted. He didn't know why he did, he wasn't angry but he did.

"Would you like to make a bet on it?!"

"..."

"If you don't find the peacock in twenty four hours you'll leave this place and never come back."

"What if I win?" Ikkaku asked

"Then you can have me."

"Have you? What do you mean?" Ikkaku's face turned red.

"I know you find me attractive. I noticed you were staring at me from the moment you laid your eyes on me. I don't blame you, for a forest boy I am a beautiful man."

"Very well, bet excepted." Yumichiku took out a fan made of red and yellow peacock feathers as he started to walk off. Ikkaku stood there and watch him leave until he was gone.

While Ikkaku tried to think of a plan to catch the peacock he couldn't help but think about all the things Yumichika said from the moment the conversation started. "This forest is my home since the day I was born. I use to have a family but thy were taken away from by a hunter two years ago." Hearing those words over and over in his mind made Ikkaku think long and hard.

-twenty four hours later-

Ikkaku has found Yumichiku at the cabin just like when they met and when they made their bet. "I don't see the peacock. You didn't find the creature."

"Oh I found the peacock alright."

"Is that so? Where is he? I don't see him or her." Ikkaku grabbed Yumichika's wrist and holds onto it tightly.

"You're the red and yellow peacock. You use your magic to appear as a human so no one would be able to find you. Pretty clever."

"What makes you think such crap, Ikkaku?!"

"Because of things you said to me gave me hints. You said 'This is your home since the day you were born.' If that's true then why don't you have a weapon for hunting?" Yumichika didn't answer, just struggled to get loose. "Then you said your family was taken away from by a hunter. Last a I check hunters don't bother any humans. And then there's your reaction to me trying to catch and sell an animal. Your cloths- the colors and designs on it resemble a peacock and your fan gave away a hint too."

Yumichika slapped Ikkaku across the face. The bald man let go of him. Yumichika tried to run for it but he wasn't fast enough. Ikkaku pins him to a tree that was a foot away from them. The fact that Yumichika tried to run away and he won't look Ikkaku in the eyes proves that he is the red and yellow peacock.

Yumichika was sobbing. He felt embarrassed and ashamed of himself. How could he let a human figure out the truth and catch him? Has he become weak over the years? He didn't want to be a captive or a slave. "There's no reason to cry." Ikkaku said in calm tone.

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm not going to keep you and I won't sell you."

"What?"

"You heard me." Ikkaku let go of him and backed away a little.

Yumichika calmed down and whipped his eyes. "I don't understand."

"I'm letting you go and you can do as you please."

"Thank you. You're a lot kinder than the last human that found me."

"What?"

"You're the second human that found me. The first human who first saw and almost caught me was a man named Shuhei Hisagi."

"Why didn't?"

"He was distracted my another man and forgot about me. I don't know what I would if another human finds me." Yumichika was about to start crying again but Ikkaku stopped him.

"Shhh. If you want you can travel with me. No one will suspect that a magical bird would be with a human and even if one person finds out I'll kill them." Ikkaku wrapped his arms around him and embraced him.

"Why would you do that?"

"I because I don't want anyone to have you. I wanna protect you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm starting to fall for you even though we don't know each other very well."

"..."

"You don't have to take my offer." For a moment Yumichika thought about the offer. If he went with him he'll have protection, if not lord knows what will happen.

"I'll go with you."

"We'll leave tomorrow in the morning."

"Ok. Would you like me to show you my true form for a moment." Ikkaku nodded. He did want to see it no point in lying about that. Yumichika turned into the red and yellow peacock he truely is for a moment and then turned back into his human form.

"What did you think?"

"No matter what form you're in you're beautiful." They smiled at each very morning they left and headed for the nearest city. Over time the became friends. Not only did they become friends they fallen in love with each other and became a couple automatically. For the rest of their days they've travel together until the end.

~Fin~

-TBC-


End file.
